Chaaya, in the center of this picture, participates in a workshop of the Butterfly project with other beneficiaries.

Chaaya (name changed) is a 28 year old mother and a victim of Human trafficking and a beneficiary of Mumbai Smiles Foundation. Since one year she has been benefiting from our “Butterfly” project run by our Mental Health centre situated in Kamathipura, Mumbai in the hope of changing her life for a better future.

While everyone is forced to stay at home to be safe amidst the Covid 19 lockdown, Chaaya, who has been recently diagnosed with a tumour in her stomach and is in need of immediate medical treatment.

However, all the private medical staff across the city are engaged in treating Covid-19 patients and public hospitals have denied her to conduct the surgery due to the COVID19 thus unable to cater to normal patients suffering from outer aliments.

Not only are people dying due to lack of food and hunger, but many are also succumbing as they have been unable to get the right medical treatment at the right time. Chaaya may as well be a victim of this situation.

Mumbai Smiles Mental Health staff is in regular contact with her and trying to get help to get medication so that she can sustain till the right treatment is available and administered. We believe that this is a basic Human Right to get a right treatment though there is a pandemic situation.

Chaaya’s son suffered a fractured hand a couple of days back and has not been to avail appropriate medical care and attention owing to a shortage of medical staff, who has been allocated to the patients impacted by the pandemic for emergency care.

This is not the story of a single “Chaaya”, but in Kamathipura behind the locked brothels there are many “Chaayas” awaiting a helping hand.